– There had been someone there who had said that they were going to kill me if he didn’t pay money. That’s what the son of the artist from Trønder says when he explains himself in court. He eavesdropped on phone calls while he was kidnapped. – What I know is that I was kidnapped and that my father had to pay for a debt that was not mine. He says someone owes him a drug debt. He won’t say who it was. – I don’t mention any names, because I could put myself in danger. On the night of 9 May, he was abducted, while his father was extorted for money. Afterwards, the father paid NOK 750,000. The case is linked to the Swedish Foxtrot network. The police found this “Team Fox” logo on the phone of one of the defendants. The defendant had sent messages on the Signal app to a person called “Aloe vera” with this profile picture. Photo: the police Threaten to kill the son The artist was woken up in the night by the son’s girlfriend standing in the bedroom and crying. – She said there was a person here who asked for 1.5 million. If not, someone would kill my son, the artist said in court. It was the 17-year-old who had come and showed him a picture of the son holding a gun to his head. The 17-year-old put the artist in contact with two people who asked for NOK 1.5 million. One spoke in broken Norwegian, while the other spoke Swedish and English. – It was very clear that he was a courier, says the artist about the 17-year-old. The two the artist spoke to via the telephone of the 17-year-old are among the three main suspects for the blackmail. One of them is from Oslo, the other from Sweden. The artist remembers that one of the persons had a picture of a fox next to his number on the 17-year-old’s phone. Both of these persons were in contact with several of the defendants both before and after the kidnapping. – It emerged in the conversation that I had to keep the police away, adds the artist. It was about a drug debt that the artist’s son had been blamed for. The police have found communications in which the drug debt is discussed. – They threatened that something would happen to the son if the artist did not pay, explains Jørgensen. Even though the son had returned home, the blackmailing of the artist continued. Timeline: kidnapping and blackmail Before 8 May 2023 Contact via telephone from the Swede and a man from Oslo to the accused 18-year-olds and the son who was abducted. There are phone calls and some messages. The Swede and the person from Oslo are two of the six charged with aggravated robbery of the artist. They are two of the three main suspects for blackmailing the artist. This case is scheduled to go to court in April. 8 May 2023 Several of the defendants have contact via telephone, messages on Instagram and messages on Signal. Some of them also have contact with the Swede who is charged with organized aggravated robbery. Night 8-9 May 2023 23:30: The son in his 20s is forced into a car by three of the defendants. They then drive to the address where the last defendant is waiting. 11:41 p.m.: The 18-year-old at the address sends a message to the 17-year-old: “Finished cutting up the salad, when will you come with minced meat?” 00:25: The 17-year-old is driven by the 19-year-old back to the artist. The 18-year-olds still hold the artist’s son captive. 00:45 – 02:00: The 17-year-old is at the artist’s address, while the 19-year-old is waiting in the car at a nearby shop. 02:25: The 17- and 19-year-olds are back at the address where the 18-year-olds held the artist’s son captive. 03:30: The son of the artist is pressed into the car close to where he was held captive. This was filmed by a witness. After this, the 19-year-old drops the others off and drives home to himself. The son is held captive by the other two in another residence. Around 04:30: The son can go and takes the bus to get home. Following this, the defendants still have contact until they are arrested by the police. 10 – 23 May 2023 The artist received several threats by message demanding to pay NOK 1.5 million. In one of the messages, the address of the family, friends and relatives was listed. Then it said: “You have until the end of this week to pay NOK 1.5 million before everyone on the list gets a visit. One by one I will dismember your family.” 23 – 31 May 2023 The artist paid NOK 750,000 to a person in Oslo who is charged with aggravated robbery of the artist. This case is scheduled to go to court in April 2024. The police have subsequently managed to secure NOK 107,000 of the money paid out. 26 August 2023 The police seized a black and yellow softgun that one of the defendants was wearing. The gun matches the description the artist’s son has given to the police. The timeline is based on the police’s findings in the investigation. “One by one I’m going to dismember your family” Following the kidnapping, the artist was called every day, especially at night. – There are threats to kill us, blow up the house. I will be moved to a secret address. The family had a police guard outside the door 24 hours a day. On 16 May, the artist and his wife received a text message listing the address of everyone in the family, friends and relatives. “You have until the end of this week to pay NOK 1.5 million before everyone on the list gets a visit. One by one I will dismember your family.” – Then there was no other choice but to pay, said the artist. But then they agreed on a compromise and that 750,000 was enough to pay off a drug debt the son supposedly had. – There is no doubt that the money goes to a criminal network. This is what the prosecutor in the case, state attorney Per Morten Schjetne, told news. The money was paid out via bank after the abduction, between 23 and 31 May. The money was paid to the man in Oslo, who transferred about half of the money on to a third person. The latter transferred the money on to the Norwegian crypto bank, FIRI AS. The police have managed to secure 107,000 of the money paid out. The case of extortion and robbery of the artist is scheduled to go to court in April. – It has been hell, simply hell, says the artist. On the night of 9 May, the son of an artist from Trønder was abducted while the father was extorted for money. – I was pushed into the car The son of the artist told the court that he was pushed into the car by masked persons. – When they jumped out of the car I was scared, my heart skipped a beat. Shortly before this, he had been called by a person on the Signal messaging service. They made an agreement to smoke weed at the place where he was forced into the car. – The voice was Norwegian, Austrian. But instead of meeting this person, he was pushed into the car. – I was pushed into the car. I resisted. Then the car drives to the address where he was held prisoner. – I am taken down to the basement and into the cellar, he says. In this basement vault in Trondheim, he was held prisoner and threatened with a gun on the night of 9 May. Photo: the police Pistol to the head The indictment states that the son, in his 20s, was held captive for around six hours and subjected to violence. – There was a golf club there, it was not used. There was talk of her being used if I didn’t shut up. Down in the bow, he is asked to take off the clothes on his upper body while he is threatened with a gun. – There was a man with a gun in front of me. One press and I was dead. Then a picture was taken. – I was photographed with a gun to my head, says the son in court. Bilete was once again used to pressure the artist for money. The son recognized the gun, which he had received from a friend a long time ago. The police have not found the photo that was taken, but the description of the gun matches a softgun that was seized from one of the defendants. The artist’s son was taken on and the prisoner imprisoned in a new residence until he was allowed to leave. – I have never seen my father so scared Sonen until the artist got on a bus and got home by taxi. Everyone at home was in shock. – I was a bit in shock when I got home too. I came in and looked like a ghost. He explained that there were people who branched out when he got home. – I have never seen my father so scared. Even the son was on sick leave until November due to paranoid thoughts, anxiety and little sleep. – I had a bad time. I was paranoid. I have been afraid, he adds. The artist says that he has repressed much of what has happened. He was on sick leave until September. – It has simply ruined my life and my job. Everything is ruined because of this. Yesterday, the accused explained themselves in court. Two of them did not want to say anything, one said he was not aware of what was going to happen and the system man said his son came to visit voluntarily. Said the victim came to visit voluntarily The defendant, the 18-year-old who lived at the address where the son was held captive, gave his statement in court on Monday. On Tuesday, it became clear in court that he is no longer charged with complicity in robbery. – He came to visit my flat. After a while he asked to leave. He said that the victim came to visit of his own accord, and that there was no question of an abduction. Nevertheless, the 18-year-old admits partial criminal liability for the abduction. – He was in my house, after all. According to me, he was there voluntarily. If he has been abducted, it is a criminal offense that he was in my house. The accused 19-year-old also partially admits criminal guilt for the abduction, because he was driving the car. He said he thought he was going to drive a person over and that he understood too late what he was involved in. – Then I understood that I had kidnapped a person, said the 19-year-old. The 19-year-old is also no longer charged with complicity in robbery. The last two, the 17- and 18-year-olds, are charged with both abduction and complicity in a robbery, but plead not guilty.
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The artist was pressured for money when the son was kidnapped – now they explain themselves – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
